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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23472949">reasons to stay</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiveLaughLovex/pseuds/LiveLaughLovex'>LiveLaughLovex</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>dare to dance [23]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hawaii Five-0 (2010)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Gen, Post-Episode: s10e22 Aloha, Post-Season/Series 10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 06:36:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>852</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23472949</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiveLaughLovex/pseuds/LiveLaughLovex</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve stayed gone for exactly six months. In his defense, that was about five months and twenty-nine days longer than Kono had been expecting.</p>
<p>(Post s10e22. Steve returns home, where he belongs, and is reminded of why he'll always come back - and why, this time, he's going to stay.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kono Kalakaua &amp; Steve McGarrett, Steve McGarrett &amp; Danny "Danno" Williams</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>dare to dance [23]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1507634</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>reasons to stay</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The title comes from Kate Vogel's "Reasons to Stay," which is a beautiful song I recommend you all listen to.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Steve stayed gone for exactly six months. In his defense, that was about five months and twenty-nine days longer than Kono had been expecting.</p>
<p>He stayed in touch this time around, at least. He called; he wrote. He kept them apprised of what was going on in his life, no matter how mundane, and they returned the favor. She would’ve liked to say it made missing him a little easier, but that would be a lie.</p>
<p>It was strange, doing the work without him around. He’d taught her everything she knew about the job, and he hadn’t just made her a better cop in the process; he’d made her a better person. It didn’t matter how many cases they solved or how many criminals they put away during his absence. It always felt like something was missing. Try as they might to make everything go back to normal, to do what he’d asked of them and carry on like nothing had changed, their team just never felt quite whole.</p>
<p>Though it didn’t always seem like it, the world <em>did</em> spin on while he was gone. Three months in, Tani and Junior found a place together in Waimanalo. Quinn watched Olivia compete in her school’s talent show. Gracie graduated from high school and left for college, and even though he was only able to be there to watch his honorary niece walk across the stage via FaceTime – Steve and Danny alike blamed American Airlines’ crappy scheduling for that one – his pride was very much present in that moment, even through the screen.</p>
<p>He returned on the third of October, more at peace than she’d ever seen him. He smiled, he joked, he laughed. He no longer walked around as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. It seemed his time away had given him perspective; it’d given him that previously elusive serenity he had been lacking for the past decade. And though she’d missed him like hell, she was happy he’d found his way. She was happy he’d found<em> himself</em> again, after all he’d lost before he left.</p>
<p>He’d spoken of Catherine multiple times during his absence, but when he arrived at the Palace after returning to Oahu, he was by himself.</p>
<p>“She’s doing relief work in Puerto Rico,” he offered in way of explanation, his tone lacking the slight bitterness Kono had come to associate with mentions of the woman he’d almost married. “She’ll be there for a while.”</p>
<p>“And you’re… okay with that?” Danny questioned hesitantly.</p>
<p>Steve nodded once. “I am,” he replied honestly. “She’s still the one who got away. I think she always will be. But – I fell in love with a woman who always ran to the rescue. I can’t ask her to just stop being that person.”</p>
<p>“That’s very evolved of you, Steve,” Kono piped up from next to the Jersey native.</p>
<p>“It is,” Danny agreed, narrowing his eyes slightly as he stared at his friend. “Did somebody drug you and perform a lobotomy at some point during your sabbatical? What?” he huffed when Kono’s elbow made not-so-gentle contact with his ribs. “It’s like he underwent a personality transplant.”</p>
<p>Steve scoffed a laugh, shaking his head as he met Kono’s amused gaze. “Has he been like this ever since I left?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” Kono replied with a long-suffering sigh. “On a completely unrelated note, you’re never allowed to leave again.”</p>
<p>“Understood,” he assured her, glancing around the nearly empty room. “Looks like Lincoln is doing a good job of holding down the fort.”</p>
<p>“He is,” Kono agreed. “Hasn’t been the same without you though, Boss,” she added sincerely. “It’ll be good to have you back.”</p>
<p>“Right. Yeah, about that…” He lifted a hand nervously, running it down the back of his neck. “I’m not coming back to Five-O.”</p>
<p>“But you <em>are</em> Five-O,” Kono blurted before she could stop herself. “I mean, we’ve done an okay job on our own, but you… Steve, you built every bit of this from the ground up. Are you really going to be able to walk away from it all?”</p>
<p>“I’m not sure,” he answered honestly, glancing between her and his partner. “I just… I’ve seen enough of the violence, for right now. I need a break. I need to see if I know how to live outside of this life.”</p>
<p>Danny considered him for a moment, then nodded once. “Makes sense.”</p>
<p>“Thanks, buddy,” Steve breathed, offering a relieved smile. “Kono?” he asked, glancing over at her with a hopeful glint in his eyes.</p>
<p>“I…” She exhaled heavily, blinking once to dispel the gathering tears from her already-blurred gaze. “Am I still allowed to call you if I get stuck on something.”</p>
<p>“Of course,” he replied immediately. “Absolutely.”</p>
<p>“Good,” she replied shakily, clearing her throat and offering him what she hoped was a heartfelt smile. “I’m holding you to that.”</p>
<p>“I’d expect nothing less,” he returned with a warm smile of his own.</p>
<p>“Welcome home, Boss,” she said a moment later, holding his gaze as she spoke.</p>
<p>“Thank you, Kono,” he spoke gratefully. “It’s good to be home.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm honestly still in a state of shock that this show's over. Writing this challenged me more than I thought it would, because I am still upset that it's ended so abruptly. That being said, I really liked a majority of the writing for this episode. If things had to end, that was a good way to end them. Nothing felt rushed to me, which was helped by that open ending. ANYWAY, I'll stop rambling now. I hope you enjoyed it!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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